Let’s take it one piece at a time, because there is a great deal that can be learned from official numbers, and that knowledge is precisely your responsibility as a parent: understanding what this institution is before combining that with what your child wants and what your family can afford.
What kind of school it is and whom its schedule works for
John Jay College of Criminal Justice, part of the CUNY system, is classified by the Carnegie system as a master’s university with larger programs. It is a public institution offering programs of four years or more, and the highest level it reports offering is a post-master’s certificate. That does not mean every major your child might choose has a path laid out through graduate school: it means the institution as a whole reaches that level. Whether the major your child is interested in offers that undergraduate-to-graduate path is something to ask about program by program.
The Carnegie classification, using data from 2019-20, describes John Jay as a large, primarily nonresidential institution. That means either fewer than one in four undergraduate students lived in school-owned housing or fewer than half attended full time. The data do not clarify which of those two conditions applied, and they also do not mean that dormitories never existed. What is clear—and confirmed by another report—is that John Jay currently offers no housing or apartments under its control, either on or off campus. It also reports no meal plans of its own. If your child is going to live there, your family will have to determine where and with what budget, and that expense is your responsibility, not the institution’s.
The school is in New York City, in New York County, within the New York-Newark-Jersey City metropolitan area. Its census code places it in a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more. If your child plans to live at home and commute, do not rely on what the map says: travel the route on a weekday at the exact time of the scheduled classes. Actual traffic in a large city is almost never as quick as an app promises.
John Jay operates on a semester-based academic calendar: two terms of about 15 weeks each, with consistent dates for everyone. The school stated that it accepts credit for AP examinations and also what IPEDS calls credit for life experience—learning acquired through independent study, work experience, portfolios, prior certifications, or military training. Stating that it accepts such credit does not mean your child will receive it automatically. Request a written evaluation of equivalencies before enrolling, and do not count on that savings of time or money until you have it in hand.
Carnegie also classifies John Jay among institutions that receive many transfer students. If your child plans to come here after studying elsewhere, that label does not indicate how many credits will transfer or how many will be lost along the way. Request that list in writing before making the move.
One final piece of its identity: John Jay has none of these three federal designations—it is not a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. That does not indicate which communities it serves or how your child will feel on campus. Ask directly by speaking with someone who already studies there.
A community where half or more are Hispanic or Latino
Here is a number worth looking at directly: in fall 2023, 50 out of every 100 John Jay undergraduate students were reported as Hispanic or Latino. Compared with 519 public, four-year, selective-admission schools in this same census, John Jay reported one of the highest shares. Nine out of ten of those schools reported a lower share.
If your child worries about feeling like the only Latino student in the classroom, this number does not describe that experience. But interpret it carefully: knowing how many students there are is not the same as knowing whether meaningful support is available to them. These data do not indicate whether there is a Spanish-speaking counselor, targeted tutoring, or how many of those students complete their degrees. And this is the percentage for the entire school, not for the specific major your child is interested in. Find out specifically.
The rest of the picture looks like this: women outnumber men, with 63 out of every 100 undergraduate students being women. Out of every 100, 17 are between the ages of 25 and 64, so this is not solely a campus of teenagers fresh out of high school. And 90 out of every 100 first-time students reported a permanent address in New York State when they applied: above all, it is a regional school.
In terms of size, John Jay reported official fall enrollment of 13,510 students, making it a large school in the government’s 10,000 to 19,999 range. Of that total, 11,678 are undergraduates and 1,832 are graduate students: it is primarily an undergraduate school, not a place designed mainly for graduate education. The school’s size tells you nothing about the size of your child’s classes. Ask about that separately, by major and year.
A clear focus: homeland security and criminal justice
If anything distinguishes John Jay academically, it is this: in a recent year, it awarded 3,188 bachelor’s degrees, and 1,600 of them—exactly half or more—were in homeland security and criminal justice. Compared with 514 similar schools, John Jay falls within the quarter with the fewest fields of study represented in its bachelor’s-degree detail. It is a school built around a strong focus, not a broad and scattered catalog.
That does not indicate whether this field is the best option for your child or say anything about other majors that may be of interest. If your child is interested in criminology, criminal justice, or something related, this concentration is a strong positive signal. If your child is looking for something different, ask specifically about that program: its curriculum, how many students graduated from it last year, and how easy it is to get a seat in the required classes.
The student-to-instructional-staff ratio is 16 to 1, a middle-of-the-range figure compared with similar schools. It does not indicate the actual size of a first-year class; that also needs to be asked directly.
John Jay also reports structured opportunities: study abroad, cocurricular undergraduate research, and a complete program that can be taken exclusively during evenings or weekends. If your child works or has family responsibilities during the day, that last option warrants a direct question to admissions.
How it admits students and whom it admits
John Jay does not have open admissions: it reviews specific components before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, it marked five as required: the high school record, grade point average, completion of the required college-preparatory curriculum, a formal sample of work such as a portfolio or competency examination, and an English-proficiency examination when applicable to the applicant. By contrast, it reported that class rank, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, work experience, and whether a relative attended the school were not considered.
If your child studied outside the United States or attended high school in Spanish, ask now whether an English-proficiency examination is required and what would provide an exemption. This is the kind of issue families discover late, when resolving it has already become urgent.
The published undergraduate application fee is $65.
In the 2023 cycle, John Jay received 17,921 first-time applications and offered admission to 10,255 applicants: that is 57 out of every 100. Compared with 519 similar schools, it falls on the more selective side: seven out of ten of those schools admitted a larger share of their applicants. Put another way, 7,666 applicants did not receive an offer. Admission is not automatic, but it is not a lottery either. Applications are reviewed using specific criteria.
Here is a figure that often surprises families: out of every 100 admitted applicants, only 20 ultimately enrolled. That is a typical share among similar schools, neither high nor low. Do not read it as a mark against the school: receiving an acceptance letter is not the same as deciding to attend, and what others decided does not predict what your child will be offered. What truly matters is the letter showing the actual net price. With that number in hand, you can decide whether the school stays on the list.
Regarding standardized tests, neither the SAT nor the ACT is required. Only 5 out of every 100 enrolled students submitted an SAT score, one of the lowest shares among comparable schools. Among those who did submit scores, the middle half scored between 520 and 640 in reading and writing and between 480 and 610 in mathematics. Those numbers describe only students who enrolled and submitted scores, not all applicants; they are neither a minimum nor a guarantee.
If your child is transferring from another college, take note: the fall 2023 count shows 1,274 undergraduate students who entered John Jay for the first time after studying elsewhere. That is a high number. On the other hand, among the cohort that entered in 2017 seeking bachelor’s degrees, 23 out of every 100 transferred to another institution without completing a degree at John Jay, a typical share among similar schools. Transferring is not failing. Still, your child should know how to request the records needed to transfer credits before that information is needed.
The sticker price and what families actually pay
At CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice, among 711 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid, paid the in-state or in-district rate, and had EFC records showing family income below $30,000, the average net price was $1,290. Among 182 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $7,654; among 24 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $12,827. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band, comprising 711 students, and the average for the highest-income band, comprising 24 students, is $11,537. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $4,141.
Among the 519 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this figure with the same time coverage, John Jay falls within the least expensive quarter for the lowest-income families after grants and scholarships are subtracted. That does not mean it will be inexpensive for your family. It is a figure worth considering when you build the list of schools to which your child will apply.
The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at this public institution, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average after grants and scholarships, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships; it also uses that rate. If your family lives outside the state or district, the calculation is different. Ask about it before applying.
Aid, grants, and why almost no one here takes out a federal loan
Out of every 100 degree- or certificate-seeking students at John Jay, 81 received a grant, scholarship, or other aid that does not have to be repaid, with an average of $8,067 per year among recipients. The Pell Grant—federal aid for low-income families—went to 61 out of every 100 students. Receiving this aid here is not unusual: half or more of the group receives it.
Here is a figure that deserves to be stated plainly: only 8 out of every 100 John Jay undergraduate students had a federal student loan in the 2022-23 academic year. That is one of the lowest shares among similar schools: nine out of ten had a higher share of students with debt. Among those who did take out loans, the average was $6,004 that year.
Do not misunderstand what this means. The fact that most students did not use a federal loan does not indicate how the others managed: they may have relied on grants, work, family savings, or another kind of debt that this report does not record. And receiving a loan does not mean it was enough to cover the entire year. Moreover, that average covers only one year and counts only loans in the student’s name: it does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign for, credit-card debt, or the total debt someone has upon graduation. That number is not in this report.
The institution also reports payment mechanisms: a prepaid tuition plan, an installment payment plan, and participation in a Promise program. These are worth asking about directly at the financial services office.
Campus life, athletics, the library, and support services
John Jay competes in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NCAA, with reported membership in basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. This does not indicate the division in which each sport competes or whether athletic scholarships are available: ask the coach of the sport your child is interested in directly, and request the answer in writing.
Regarding ROTC, the school did not mark any opportunity in its most recent report—not the general category or any specific branch. Among the four-year institutions in this guide, 926 out of 1,786 did mark it; John Jay was not among them. That does not prove there is no nearby option; it means only that none was reported in this field. If it matters to your family, ask admissions directly before ruling out the school.
In terms of instructional format, John Jay offers distance education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Out of every 100 undergraduate students, 17 took their entire course load online, while 83 took at least one in-person class. The school also reported offering at least one complete program that can be finished through distance education, although the data do not confirm whether that specific program is available at the undergraduate level; confirm it by major.
The library has employed staff, annual spending above the government’s reporting threshold of $100,000, physical and digital materials, and interlibrary lending. Exceeding that threshold does not guarantee that it has databases specific to your child’s major; ask using the program’s name.
Reported services include combined academic and career counseling, employment assistance for current students, job placement for graduates, on-campus child care, a point of contact for veterans and military personnel, a student veterans’ organization, and a services webpage for people with disabilities. The fact that these services are reported does not indicate how effective they are or how quickly they respond; ask about that before deciding as well.
Those who stay and those who finish
Among the full-time bachelor’s-degree-seeking cohort that entered in fall 2022, 81 out of every 100 met the official retention criterion: they were still enrolled at John Jay or had already graduated one year later. Compared with similar schools, John Jay ranks toward the top of that group. These data do not separate those who remained enrolled from those who had already graduated, and there is an important limitation: leaving for another college and continuing to study there is counted the same as leaving college altogether. The figure does not distinguish between those two paths.
For graduation, the central figure is this: out of a cohort of 1,831 first-time, full-time students who entered in 2017, 1,016 graduated from John Jay within six years. That is 55 out of every 100, slightly more than half. Within the shorter four-year period, the share falls to 41 out of every 100, fourteen points lower.
The outcomes for those same 1,831 students break down as follows:
| Outcome after six years | Number of students |
|---|---|
| Graduated from John Jay | 1,016 |
| Transferred to another institution | 426 |
| Remained enrolled without graduating | 56 |
| Were no longer enrolled | 333 |
Compared with 518 similar schools, John Jay ranks above the median on this rate. A student’s transfer does not mean that the student failed to complete a degree elsewhere, and “no longer enrolled” does not explain why or rule out the possibility that the person finished after the time limit measured by this report.
A broader eight-year measure follows a cohort of 4,116 undergraduate students who entered between July 2015 and June 2016, combining full-time and part-time students, first-time students, and students with prior college experience. As of August 2023, 62 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this school. Among Pell Grant recipients, the share was 65 out of every 100, nine points higher than among those who did not receive one. The remainder is divided between those who still had no credential from John Jay and the 19% that the report labels “status unknown”: this does not mean they dropped out, only that the source could not determine whether they remained enrolled elsewhere.
None of this describes what will happen to your child in particular. It describes what happened collectively to thousands of students who came before. Before deciding, it is worth asking directly about specific support for the major your child is interested in and about outcomes more recent than these.
What you now know and what you still need to find out
You now know something concrete about John Jay: it is a large public college without residence halls of its own, with a strong focus on homeland security and criminal justice, a community in which half or more of the students are Hispanic or Latino, an admissions process that weighs the academic record more heavily than the essay, a net price for low-income families that ranks among the lowest in its comparison group, and notably lower use of federal loans than at similar schools.
None of these data tell you whether John Jay is the right school for your child. That depends on three things only your family can bring together: what the college actually offers, which you have begun to understand here; what your child wants to study and has accomplished so far; and what your family can and is willing to pay. A plan comes from that combination, not from a single figure or a single conversation.
Your responsibility is this: verify credit equivalencies in writing before enrollment, confirm the actual housing budget even though the school does not provide housing, and wait for the letter showing the exact net price before deciding whether this college stays on the list. Your child has responsibilities as well: to study, explore the program of interest, and take ownership of the experience after walking through that door.
Source note: The information in this article comes from data reported by the institution to the U.S. Department of Education’s IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), covering different years and cohorts as indicated in each section. Best College Aid does not represent John Jay College of Criminal Justice or any agency of the United States government.